Is owning vinyl just for the sake of collecting it? Is it for better examination of the album cover artwork? Or does it have to do with the acquired taste for its unique sound?

“I talk with people a lot in the store about it,” said Ray Coppock, owner of Melody Records. “I think they are more fun to handle than CDs. But it’s kind of a cool thing that I’m afraid is going to be short-lived.”

Of course, Coppock doesn’t claim to know what the future holds, but suggests vinyl is a trend— some kind of reaction against technology that will eventually pass.

Coppock has owned Melody Records since 1979 and has had many conversations with customers in the store about how vinyl records’ sound quality resonates with them.

“If you got the equipment, the people that are really into sound seem to all be into records,” Coppock said. “I’m thinking maybe if you’re born with a good ear then there is more music in a record than there is in a CD. I think based on who you are and the equipment you’re playing it on, [vinyl has] the chance to be superior.”

The age demographic that comes into Melody Records is all over the place— there’s surprisingly not one particular age group that comes in more often than others. Coppock said it’s a mixture of college students and 40 to 60-year-old people who have been into music all their lives and are still into it.

Whether people are coming into record stores to hold and view records up close, add to their collection, seek the sound quality that is provided or to follow the latest music industry’s sale trends, it looks like vinyl records will be of interest for college students and older for years to come.

Tom Sundgren can be reached at [email protected] or @tomsundgren on Twitter.